Maritime Heritage and Modern Ports 207

The Batana of Rovinj - Rovigno

M. Budicin1, D. L. Ratkovic2, L. Benussi3 & P. Petruz4
1
Center for Historic Research Rovinj, Croatia
2
The Batana House, Croatia
3
The batana House, Croatia
4
Cadcon, Croatia

Abstract
The multidisciplinary project “Batana of Rovinj - Rovigno” is a result of the
potential of alive maritime tradition nourished by the community of Rovinj. The
objectives of the project are research, protection, transmitting, and presenting
oral tradition, material and non-material heritage of the batana, and enriching the
offer of heritage tourism of Rovinj, Istria, and Croatia. The eco museum “The
Batana House” is the basis of the project, which, among other things, stimulates
a more systematic research of the traditional construction of the batana and a
more systematic nomenclature of the constituent parts of the vessel in the native
Italian dialect of Rovinj that this article will present to the scientific community
for the first time.
Keywords: oral maritime tradition, non-material maritime heritage, stakeholder
and grassroots community, heritage tourism, eco museum, flat bottom vessel,
traditional process of construction, constituent parts, nomenclature of the vessel
in the native Italian dialect of Rovinj.

1 Introduction
This article will address the following issues:
1. What is the batana of Rovinj and what is its significance for the Town of
Rovinj and its inhabitants?
2. What are the purpose and the objectives of the project “The Batana of
Rovinj – Rovigno”?
3. How “The Batana House” museum was made, what is its mission and its
concept?

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4. What are the results of the research about structural characteristics and the
process of building the batana of Rovinj?
5. Conclusion - plans for the future?

2 Batana – the traditional vessel of Rovinj

Batana is a wooden fishing boat with flat bottom and the most widely spread
traditional vessel in Rovinj, a little town situated on the west coast of Istria with
around 12,900 inhabitants. Batana, like the picturesque peninsular town nucleus,
witnesses the continuity of local tradition. Despite numerous changes
characterizing the history of Rovinj, it has remained a permanent heir of local
heritage. For decades, local boat-builders and caulkers have built it, it is daily
used by local fishermen and owned by numerous families in Rovinj. In the age of
plastic vessels, the batana has become the symbol of a harmonious coexistence
of local inhabitants, this ancient little town, and the coastal Adriatic landscape.
As the smallest and the most affordable fishing vessel, it has preserved the
closest connection with the everyday life of numerous generations of the
inhabitants of Rovinj. The batana reflects customs, traditions, habits, mentality,
and the spiritual atmosphere of this little town and its inhabitants, regardless of
whether they belong to the autochthonous Italian, Croatian, or some other ethnic
minority living in this area.

3 Project “The Batana of Rovinj - Rovigno”

3.1 About the project and its objectives

This batana phenomenon is the primary focus of attention of the

multidisciplinary project unifying museology, protection of oral maritime
history, and maritime material and non-material tradition, cultural tourism, as
well as many other scientific and artistic disciplines, arts and crafts.
The most important objective of the project is to use the story of the batana as
an instrument of opening little and big windows with views of little and big
histories and traditions of Rovinj and its inhabitants. The second objective is for
the traditions and customs to be systematically researched, registered, and
presented to local visitors and numerous tourists in a modern and interesting
way. The establishment of collaboration with similar European and world
projects, institutions, associations, and individuals working in the field of
protection of maritime heritage is the third basic objective of the project.

3.2 Project activities

The realization of the project objectives includes numerous activities,

manifestations, and programmes such as research, multimedia, exhibitions,
publishing, film, gastronomy, festivals, educational, tourist…

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Figure 1: Restored batana “Risorta” in front of "The Batana House".

The construction of the batana “Oun Rigno” (“A Kingdom”) is undoubtedly

the most significant of the so far realized programmes. Under the auspices of the
project, the oldest living batana-maker in Rovinj built the batana together with
his sons and grandsons. The whole process of construction was documented by a
digital camera connected to a computer (more than 12,000 photograms were
made), while a film camera recorded the interview with the batana builder.
Speaking in the native Italian dialect of Rovinj, which developed directly from
the Latin language, the old batana builder transmits the secrets of his craft.
The reconstruction of the oldest preserved batana “Risorta” (“The
Resurrected”), built at the beginning of the 20th century was performed by the
youngest batana builder in Rovinj, and the whole process was also recorded on
photographs and on the film.
The project has launched many other researches about traditional ways of
fishing and various ways of traditional rowing. A systematic documentation of
traditional ways of fishing with the batana by day and by night, as well as of the
ways of using traditional fishing tools have been systematically built. A
traditional culinary night was organized in a typical inn in Rovinj (dialect.
spacio) with meals of fish and sea fruit caught on the batana, accompanied by an
exchange of fishermen’s stories and local fishermen’s songs bitinadas - this is a

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special way of performing musical accompaniment with singer’s voices. All

these events and valuable photographic materials were recorded both on
photographs and on film with the objective of making an ethno documentary
film about the batana.
Nevertheless, the opening of eco museum “The Batana House” is the highest
point of the project. In the museum, numerous results of the project are
professionally presented in a modern, communicative, and interesting way. The
museum also hosts numerous educational workshops about old boat-building and
fishing crafts. In such a way, the project became the stronghold for the
enhancement of cultural tourist offer in Rovinj.

4 Museum “The Batana House”

4.1 About the Museum

Eco museum “The Batana House” was opened in September 2004. The museum
was not designed as a static cultural and tourist product. Its mission is acting as a
dynamic cultural and social process providing a new impulse to enlivening the
spirit and the cultural landscape of Rovinj [1].
The choice of the location of the museum alludes to the integration of the
batana into the very heart of town’s everyday life. The museum occupies two
floors of a typical Rovinj two-story house built at the end of the 17th century on
the coast of the peninsular town nucleus. Sailor’s families, craftsmen’s, and
workers’ families have for centuries lived in this house, a family still today lives
above the museum. A small square in front of the house, thanks to its space and
stage potentials is suitable for organizing various museum manifestations and
open-air programmes including the daily exhibition of the batanas moored in the
port.

4.2 Concept and realization of the Museum

The concept of a permanent museum layout entirely depends on the potentials of

live transmitters of local traditions, crafts, and spiritual values. Grassroots
community, collaborating with a team of experts and professional management,
has created an ideal “critical mass” for its realization.
The process of realization, which lasted less than two years, included the
participation of more than eighty members of the local stakeholder community:
boat-builders and caulkers with families, fishermen, researchers of local history,
musicians and performers of local fishermen’s bitinada songs, cooks of
traditional fishermen’s cuisine, model builders specialized in making batana
models, the batana owners, donators of exhibits, volunteers and enthusiasts…
The Museum is designed for a wide range of users: starting with pre-school
and school children to adult local visitors, including senior citizens, as well as
numerous Croatian and foreign tourists visiting this well developed tourist center
year round (during the summer season, the number of inhabitants in Rovinj
increases about threefold!).

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4.3 Museum layout

In the minimalist designed interior of the museum spreading on about one

hundred square meters, there are three galleries. The first one presents themes
about the origin, typology, constituent parts, historic shipyards, shipbuilders, and
the process of shipbuilding. The second exhibition hall is dedicated to the theme
of real life of the batana and its original users - fishermen. The third museum hall
is multifunctional. This is the site of Rovinj’s media library, “the wall” for
occasional exhibitions and a small studio with the library, a board for press
clippings, and a work computer with a database.

Figure 2: “The Batana House” interior.

The museum layout is designed as multimedia. The exhibits are permanently

correlated with their owners and donators. The batana models assess model
making, and most vividly illustrate differences between various types of the
batana. Visual materials always supplement short and summarized
accompanying texts: drawings, archive and contemporary photographs. Touch
screen desk enables a layered research of museum’s themes, and the batana
making process shows a 12-minute slide show. Through these interactive

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exhibits, visitors can actively participate in the choice of levels of information

they want to obtain, which also includes the recorded speech of protagonists of
the exhibition in the native Italian dialect of Rovinj. The screen wall shows the
ambient film with excepts from the everyday use of the batana on the sea, the
media library contains film clips, while the work computer offers a database
about all preserved batanas in the port of Rovinj.
The visit to the museum exhibition is accompanied by constant music
background of the Rovinj fishing songs bitinada.
The languages of the exhibition are Croatian, Italian, but also the native
Italian dialect of Rovinj used for naming all parts of the batana, as well as boat-
building and fishing tools. Fliers with explanations have so far been translated in
English and German languages.

5 Origins, structural characteristics, and the construction

process of the batana of Rovinj
5.1 Origins of the batana of Rovinj and its names

Geographic configuration and characteristics of the Northern and Mid-Adriatic

favored the existence and the development of a special type of smaller flat
bottom vessels. The batana of Rovinj, along with the batel of Rovinj, the
gondola of Venice, the trupa of Neretva, the sandula of Komiža, and many other
vessels, belongs to this numerous family.
According to Salamon [2], the main advantage of flat bottom vessels was the
possibility of sailing in shallow waters, lakes, river mouths, lagoons and shallow
seashores, and their simple construction. Due to a wide use and relatively simple
construction, the existence of such vessels was not limited only to the Adriatic,
but it was also characteristic of the whole Mediterranean and even further. The
frequency of such vessel types and cultural exchange throughout centuries have
produced a universal project solution and the construction process of flat bottom
vessels, with some specific solutions characterizing various autochthonous
vessels.
This was the story about the origin and the development of the batana of
Rovinj. Despite the fact that a written testimony about the first batanas of Rovinj
does not go further back than the beginning of the 19th century, the history of the
batana itself began much earlier. Together with the premise that the batana
developed out of vessels sailing in the Venetian lagoon in the Middle Ages,
described in Cherini’s text [3], Benussi [4] reports the theory of completely
autochthonous origins of the batana. According to him, the batana developed due
to the need of fishing close by the shore in shallow waters of Rovinj’s coastline,
similar to the lagoon area.
There are various explanations of the origins of the term batana. The first two
explanations are Benussi’s [5]. According to the first one, the name descends
from the Italian verb battere, which means to beat, because the batana “was
beating” the waves with its flat bottom. The second theory claims that the name
batana belongs to the autochthonous dialect of Rovinj: due to their good

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maritime characteristics, the batanas were vessels good enough to win the sea, or
bone da bati mar. The third theory defended by Pelizzer [6] claims that the name
descends from the ancient sailing term batto, the root of the word batello,
descending from the Anglo-Saxon expression bat, the origin of the English word
for boat.

5.2 Structural characteristics

Throughout the centuries, the batana of Rovinj has preserved structural

characteristics that make it unique. It is completely made of wood, with
moderately rounded bottom towards the transom and the stem. Oakwood was
used for making ribs and other parts of ribbing, while spruce-wood or fir-wood
was used for the boarding. Only galvanized nails were used for joining planks.
The dimensions of the batana are relatively small and they have varied in the
past from 4 to 8.5 meters, while today there are not many batanas longer than 5
meters. Its dimensions usually depended on the size of workspace of its builder,
so that this is one of their distinctive features. The feature that makes the batana
significantly different from similar flat bottom vessels in this area is larger width,
which significantly improves navigation, enabling fishing in the open seas on
more distant and longer routes.
Another special and interesting feature of the batana of Rovinj, presented by
V. Salamon from the University of Zagreb in his research of the oldest batana of
Rovinj still in use “Risorta”, published by Marzari [7], are the dimensions of the
hulk performed in the so-called “Pythagoras’ harmony”.
Despite the fact that the batana was suitable for various types of fishing, in
time several types of vessels were developed specialized for a specific kind of
fishing, which was systematically researched by Benussi [8]. The classic batana
is the most frequent in the port of Rovinj. It is covered only in its bow and stern
part, so that the largest part of the deck is open. Diagonally in the middle of the
classic batana, there is a thwart (dialect. banchìto) also used as the support for
the mast. It was used for day fishing, mostly in the coastal area. Another type is
covered batana (dialect. batana cuviérta) with the completely covered deck with
two openings: the larger one (dialect. quadáio) situated along the middle of the
boat, and the smaller one on the stern (dialect. purtiel). Such batana was also
equipped with a sail, and it was used for fishing in the open sea, especially with
long lines (dialect. parangalîti) and bigger nets that would be cast by night and
hauled at dawn. The large covered deck was used as a shelter by night and during
bad weather. The semi-covered batana (dialect. batana mie∫acuviérta) is the third
variety that developed in time. The covered deck stretched all the way to the
outrigger (dialect. trasto), while next to the large stern opening (dialect.
quadráio) it had a side passage on the right side (dialect. mie∫ocuradúr). The side
passage was useful for night fishing with spears and the lamplight fishing boat
(dialect. luminá). Not a single example of such batana can be seen in Rovinj
today. The last variety that appeared in the last decades is the glass bottom
batana. It was probably imported from the northern part of the Istrian coast. The
bow-area of the boat bottom was made of glass, which served for easier spotting
of the fish during night fishing with spears.

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Figure 3: The batana of Rovinj equipped with a sail.

Along with its specific shape, the batana of Rovinj differs from other flat
bottom vessels by its specific system of rowing. On shorter routes and during the
fishing, two long oars were used placed in the diagonal outrigger (dialect.
trasto).
There was also rowing in the Venetian fashion - standing up facing the bow.
The use of outrigger made rowing simpler because it avoided the crossing of oars
and increased the working arm of the oar. Additional oars were used on larger
batanas, placed in side davits. On the outrigger and on the boat, there were oar
grooves used for rowing with one oar during the fishing, mostly for casting nets.
On longer routes and in particular situations, the batana sailed with a large
square lug sail (dialect. vila al tiérso).
Sails were made of tough cotton fabric, which was then painted. The painting
of the sail was initially used for impregnation and longer duration. However, in
time, it has become a sign of recognition, denoting personality and identity of the
batana owner. Each family had its sign painted on the sail by which its members
and other people recognized the vessel and its owners out on the sea. According
to Pellizzer [9], sails of more than 95 families in Rovinj have been identified and
registered so far. The painted motifs were geometric, and there were also less
frequent figurative images, writings, numbers, and symbols. The most frequent
colors were yellow, red, and green. As a precondition for sailing, the batana was
equipped with a helm. Such helm had a larger leaf leaning towards the bow,
because along with the function of steering, it also performed the function of

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balancing the boat and partly prevented the dropping during the navigation with
the wind.

5.3 Building process

Despite the fact that the batanas of Rovinj had standard dimensions and
construction characteristics, simple principles of building and its frequency
among local boat-builders and caulkers affected the variety of the final building
of the batana. In fact, although the batanas all looked the same, at the end of the
building process each batana had its special features often reflecting the identity
of its builder. One of such significant factors was the building space, which
frequently limited its dimensions. Batanas were frequently built in small
fishermen’s basements, and the fishermen had to pay attention to the size of the
vessel so that they could actually take them out of the basement.
Considering small dimensions and the simplicity of construction, the building
process itself was relatively simple. Before the beginning of building, the builder
had to prepare boards for side boarding (dialect. maiéri delle fiancáde), the
bottom (dialect. maiéri del fóndo), the stem (dialect. ásta da prua) and the
transom (dialect. ásta da po^upa), which then had to be precisely cut and
polished. Special rabbets (dialect. linbiéi) used during the juncture with side
planking were cut into such elaborated planks of the stem and the transom.
Once all preparation activities were completed, the building started by nailing
lower wale planks (dialect. preîme tuóle or maiéri da ∫úta) to the stem and the
transom in the previously cut rabbets with semicircular diameter with the length
from 7 to 10 centimeters.
The next construction phase was the installation of the ribbing, a demanding
work that asked for special attention and rich experience of the boat-builder. Side
planking was gradually widened and two middle ribs were installed. Due to
sharp form of the batana, the ribs were made of two parts, the floor (dialect.
piána) and the futtock (dialect. bráso). The floor was slightly curved and
installed so that the longitudinal bottom curve was about 10-12 centimeters, and
its waterline would pass right above the bow and the stern. The futtocks (dialect.
brási) were then joined to the floor at the specific angle (dialect. cartabón). From
the middle of the mid-part of the vessel towards the ends, other floors and
futtocks were then installed. Once the skeleton was put together, two upper sheer
strakes (dialect. áliti maieri da ∫úra or fása da ∫úra) were inserted. After that, the
keelson (dialect. parama∫ál) was placed along the mid-part of the bottom and
joined to the floor. A pair of bow and stern bitts was then added, together with
two small supports (dialect. suchíti) carrying the keelson (dialect. parama∫ál) on
the bow and one on the stern.
To strengthen the side of the hulk, two more deck-beam shelves (dialect.
cuntrafuórti) were installed, so that the ends were inserted into rabbets of the
bitts and joined to the futtocks (dialect. brási). Between the upper planking and
the two deck-beam shelves, additional bulwark stanchions (dialect. manculeiti)
were installed with the function of structurally strengthening the batana, together
with posts (dialect. sancheini) serving as supports for the outrigger (dialect.
trasto) and for the thwart (dialect. banchito).

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The form of the hulk of the batana was finally defined by inserting deck
beams (dialect. cadéne) and a part of their boarding. The final activity in this
phase was the installation of the bulwark (dialect. feíli). Once all the elements
were put into place, bitts were additionally modeled and polished, along with the
bulwark stanchions, posts and the stem, and the whole construction was painted
with the inter-coat.

Figure 4: Construcion of batana “Oun Rigno” in 2004.

Turning the batana and finishing the bottom boarding continued the process.
Bottom planks were added one by one from the middle towards the ends, while
sheer strakes (dialect. li pine) were installed at the end. The completed boarding
was then polished and painted with the inter-coat. The caulking was performed
on the junctures of the stem and sheer strakes, as well as of the lower sheer
strakes and the bottom, which means that the gaps in junctures were filled with
hemp fiber (dialect. stúpa).
The batana was then put back in its initial position, the boarding of the stern
and the bow was completed, and the topside plank (dialect. braghíta) was
installed. Finally, rub rails (dialect. curdóni) were attached on the bullwark, the
outrigger was prepared and the flooring (dialect. paiói) and the oars (dialect.
reîmi) were made.
Once the construction of the batana was completed, the whole vessel was
painted. Originally, the painting was done with coats on the basis of linseed oil,
and the choice of the color was mainly red for the bottom, white for the side, and
green for the deck.

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6 Conclusion
The project has so far had excellent results. The response and the reactions to
“The Batana House” from both local and foreign guests in Rovinj are very
positive and encouraging.
The objective of involving the population of Rovinj in the permanent work of
the museum has been realized in several ways: through the organization of
creative workshops for children with the topic of building the batana and
traditional ways of weaving fishing nets, with occasional engagement of local
fishermen and guardians of the batana tradition working as museum guides.
The task of connecting the project with similar projects in Europe and in the
world is yet to be realized, and the participation at the Maritime Heritage 2005
Conference in Barcelona is the first and very important step in this direction.
In conclusion: in the previous decade, not a single batana has been constructed
in Rovinj. Immediately after the opening of “The Batana House”, the batana
makers have even received a couple of orders. This is one of the most illustrative
indicators of the fact that the project has excellent results in such an early phase.
The batana never really was out of fashion in Rovinj!

References
[1] http://www.rv-batana.htnet.hr
[2] Salamon, V., Rovinjska batana u obitelji barki ravna dna geografskog i
kulturnog kruga Jadrana, unpublished text, pp. 1, 2004
[3] Cherini, A., Battelle e battane dell'Alto Adriatico, Borgolauro, Fameia
muiesana, XI, N.18, pp. 37-44, 1990
[4] Benussi, L., La batana, unpublished text, pp. 1, 2004
[5] Benussi, L., ibid, pp. 2
[6] Pelizzer, A., La batana simbolo della città di Rovigno, unpublished text, pp.
1, 2004
[7] Marzari, M., Navi di legno, Lint, Comune di Grado, pp. 262, 1998
[8] Benussi, L., Imbarcazioni e vele tipiche del primo '900, Antologia Istria
Nobilissima, XX VII, UI-Fiume UP di Trieste, pp. 121, 1994
[9] Pelizzer, G., Le vele di Rovigno, unpublished text, 1984

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